


Wrong place, wrong time

by Callmepapi



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Animal Attack, Bear Attack, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Hurt Jaskier | Dandelion, Injured Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:36:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29722188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callmepapi/pseuds/Callmepapi
Summary: Perhaps this was it? The end of Jaskier the bard, lost the fight to a beautiful brown bear, devoured alive.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 14
Kudos: 103





	Wrong place, wrong time

**Author's Note:**

> Here you go lol : )

“How deadly are leshen exactly?” Jaskier asks as they tread through the forest, notebook in hand ready to jot down any important facts that Geralt won’t tell him later.

“Deadly enough that you’re staying at the camp, when we find a clearing good enough.” Jaskier nods, though Geralt doesn’t see, and continues speaking.

“So, even if I was stealthy…would I still get killed?” Geralt stops and sighs before he turns to Jaskier behind him. He rubs the bridge of his nose between his index finger and his thumb.

“Leshens they- look it’s- they can control the wildlife around them. Even if you were quiet, they would spot you and you would die and that’s on me, got it? Stay. At. The. Camp.” Jaskier gave a hearty laugh, though his face didn’t change to a smile.

“Ha, I get it. No need to rub it in. I’ll pester you when you get back, I know that’s your part,” he smirked. Geralt huffed with only the hint of a smile on his face that Jaskier didn’t notice.

}{

A branch snapped, jaskier’s head looked up from his lute to the trees around him. His fingers stopped moving on the strings and the forest turned silent apart from the slight breeze that brushed past the leaves in the trees.

Another snap and a low huff of breath. Jaskier would have thought it was Geralt, if not for the large footsteps to follow after; Geralt may have been a heavy guy, but he wasn’t  _ that _ heavy.

There was another huff, then, out of the corner of jaskier’s eye, a large brown bear appeared, making it's way over to both his and Geralt’s satchels. Luckily, Geralt had taken Roach with him.

Jaskier instinctively stood up from the rock he was sat on, preparing for a fight.

Geralt had never taught Jaskier about bears in the wild. They were basic animals, he said, easy to fight.

Yes, well, Jaskier thought, maybe for a Witcher they’re easy to fight, but what of humans…

The bear nosed it's way through their packs, searching for food and managing to find some of Geralt’s ingredients. Jaskier decided then to speak up, what would the Witcher say if he knew Jaskier had let a stupid bear eat  _ all _ of his stuff, the money they would lose!

“H-hey! Bear!” He puffed up his chest, pushing his feet apart to look larger, was… that what you were supposed to do when facing a bear? “Stay- eh- stay away from our  _ stuff! _ ”

The beast looked up and sniffed the air, turning it's dark, beady eyes towards Jaskier. It almost looked sad, the creature, loneliness filling the black void of it's eyes. He could probably write a ballad about it, he  _ would  _ actually, and he’d get started once the bear was gone.

The bear did not leave. Instead, it stood up on its hind legs, something that made Jaskier very much want to piss his pants right at that moment, but he didn’t. It  _ towered _ above him, huffing and moaning. When it landed back on all fours, the ground practically shook beneath them. Jaskier was possibly imagining that, his mind was not working as it should at that moment.

It walked towards him slowly, sniffing the air. Jaskier grabbed his lute by the neck, brandishing it like a weapon with both hands and shaking his head. He had to think straight, he  _ had _ to focus.

It was too close. It was too bloody close! Jaskier swung his lute, he couldn’t help it, the beast was standing there and any small movement it made felt as though it was about to kill him.

The thing roared, practically deafening Jaskier in the moment and swiped it's claws at Jaskier's lute, smashing it out of his hands and onto the ground. Jaskier eyed it for a moment, mourning it's loss, before the beast stood up once more, shielding Jaskier from the bright sun above them.

It pushed it's paws out, successfully knocking Jaskier to the ground. He realised then that his ballad about the bear may not ever get written.

Showing off it's long teeth, the bear wrapped it’s jaw around jaskier’s head, a terrifying but not yet fatal experience.

He felt around himself, remembering the small dagger inside his doublet that Geralt had given him. Finding it, and thanking melitele, he thrusted it up into the bear’s belly, just in time. The beast's jaw was just snapping shut as it reared back, nicking the skin of his neck and cheek but saving his life in the end, for now anyway.

It seemed the bear was not yet afraid. In fact, it seemed it was doubling its efforts now, charging towards Jaskier and swiping at him, catching him in the chest twice, causing a bunch of deep bloody cuts to appear.

He cried out in agony, but the beast was relentless. It snapped it's jaws around Jaskier's shoulder, making scream aloud, then thrashed it's head around, swinging Jaskier with it before letting go and throwing him against a thick tree trunk with a loud  _ ‘crack _ ’; probably a broken rib, or two.

He was barely even awake when the bear bit deep into his ankle and began dragging him across the ground. He screamed and cried and thrashed as much as he could but the pain was near paralysing and the bear  _ would _ not stop now that it had started.

Jaskier cried out for Geralt. He regretted not asking Geralt where he was going, how far away it would be, when would he be back. He prayed, begged to any goddess above that Geralt would return soon, preferably right now-

“Gah- aaahhhh!!” The bear bit deep into his thighs, teeth digging so far he swore he could feel it scrap bone. The beast was eating him now, Jaskier realised as he saw the bear chewing whatever meat it had gotten in its mouth. He didn’t want to look at his own thigh, fearing the worst.

“Geraaallt!!” He screamed, “pleeease!!” He felt cold and… slightly dizzy? He was losing too much blood, wasn’t he?

Perhaps this was it? The end of Jaskier the bard, lost the fight to a beautiful brown bear, devoured alive.

Would Geralt mourn him? His Witcher? Perhaps he should have told him- per-perhaps…

“ _ Jaskier _ !!” Was that Geralt? Oh, what a nice last thought to have then. To leave with the gruff voice of his Witcher ringing in his head.

“Jaskier, stay with me!” Wait, what? He distantly felt warm, clammy hands around his neck, holding him upright, resting his back against something hard.

He opened his eyes groggily. Wait, where was the…

“B-bear…”

“It’s gone, jaskier’” Geralt replied, “i took care of it, you’re safe now.” It made Jaskier sad, to be honest. The creature was only hungry, Jaskier had simply got in the way of the beautiful thing.

“Ki-” he gulped, swallowing something metallic and gross, “killed… it?” He asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern. Geralt glared at him, his arms were busy moving about of their own accord, likely doing something important, Jaskier thought.

Geralt uncorked a vial that Jaskier couldn’t see, “Of course you’d be worried about something that practically ate you alive,” he grumbled, “ This is going to hurt,” he took jaskier’s hand in his own, “squeeze my hand as hard as you want, you won’t hurt me.”

He poured whatever was in the vial onto jaskier’s thigh. The contents sizzled and Jaskier howled as steam rose up from the wound. It felt like his skin was practically boiling away.

Geralt poured it on the deeper cuts on his chest, which didn't hurt as bad, but still elicited a loud cry.

Sweat began to drip from his forehead and Jaskier soon became aware that he was shivering, trembling, and he couldn’t hold it together. He was panicking, that much was clear. Every crack or caw coming from the forest around him was setting his heart alright. It felt like he couldn’t breathe, he was holding his breath without realising it and when he tried to breathe, it came out shallow and wheezy.

“Hey, hey, jas- Julian! Look at me!” Jaskier’s eyes flicked to him, wide and frightened. Geralt had managed to wrap a bandage around his thigh and- when did he undress him. Jaskier was sitting, nude, one of Geralt’s thick cloaks around his shoulders and a blanket across his groin, covering the top of his lap. He glanced up and found the sun to be almost setting, wasn’t it only noon a moment ago.

Geralt looked at him in concern, “your alright now, you hear me? We’re completely safe here. I’ll stay up tonight, I’ll be right next to you. Remember, anything you can hear, I can hear  _ so _ much better, okay? I’ll know if somethings coming… and I’ll protect you.” Jaskier gave a shaky nod in reply, “you need sleep okay? Your body will heal itself faster that way. Just rest, you’re safe now.”

Jaskier did, feeling safer than ever being protected by the fearsome yet beautiful Witcher that stayed by his side through the long night.


End file.
